Congress Asked to Sell C-130 Transports to Libya

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress (link opens a PDF) Monday of plans to conduct a foreign military sale of two C-130J-30 transport aircraft, plus "associated equipment, parts, training, and logistical support" to the government of Libya.

According to the DSCA, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) will be the prime contractor on this sale, which is valued at $588 million. It would involve not only the sale of the planes per se, but also eight Rolls Royce (NASDAQOTH: RYCEY) AE 2100D3 engines for the four-engine planes, and two spare engines, plus modifications to be made on the planes, radio equipment and other accessories, technical documentation, three years of training, and related logistics services.

The DSCA justifies the sale by saying it will "contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of Libya," which will use the aircraft "to maintain the connection between the central government and the country's outlying areas." The agency continues:

Libya intends to use these aircraft primarily to move supplies and people within Libya. This medium lift capability should assist with border security, the interdiction of known terrorist elements, and rapid reaction to internal security threats. In addition, Libya intends to utilize these aircraft in support of regional peacekeeping and humanitarian operations.

The DSCA further assures Congress that "the proposed sale of this support will not alter the basic military balance in the region," nor will there be any "adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale."

Comments from our Foolish Readers

Help us keep this a respectfully Foolish area! This is a place for our readers to discuss, debate, and learn more about the Foolish investing topic you read about above. Help us keep it clean and safe. If you believe a comment is abusive or otherwise violates our Fool's Rules, please report it via the Report this Comment icon found on every comment.